February 27, 2025
Now I know why Trump admires Putin and Kim Jong-un so much! It’s because they’ve held onto power for a long period of time: Putin since 1999 (26-years-or-so) and the Kim Dynasty for three generations since 1948 (a 77-year reign). Kim Jong-un took over in 2011 and has been-in-charge-of Korea for 14-years now!
Shades of Fidel — who “put in” 49 years!
One month into his second and final term (not if he has his way) Trump is flexing as many executive muscles as he can. And he seemingly has a more loyal cadre of sycophants to carry out his whims and wishes!
Federal officers supervising the dismemberment of USAID? Were they wearing brown shirts?? A Trump administration ban on USAID staffers speaking publicly? A public berating of Volodymyr Zelenskyy??
Gosh, I almost forgot the mandate that all illegal aliens register – talk about getting your yellow star issued!
Look now—US democracy (and seemingly free speech) is dead in the water (and has been replaced by a monarchy).
The Daily Show was pretty damn funny a-couple-of-weeks-back when John Oliver paid a visit to the show and miffed Jon Stewart with examples of how US has become, paradoxically, the monarchy we originally sought to escape.
Which brings US to the sub-title of this attempt: the dialectic. The Hegelian definition of the concept (which is the one that concerns me here) goes thusly: the process of change — in which a concept or its realization — passes over into — and is preserved and fulfilled by — its opposite.
Which is precisely what we have seen occurring in Trump 2.0 – where reason has given way to barbarism.
Marx’s refinement of Hegel’s theory suggests that every system contains within it the seed of its own destruction. And this is why history is a litany of revolutions, assassinations and the ruling power being unseated — to be replaced by the incoming power which was born into and nurtured by the existent ruling class. A veritable game of thrones.
So Sleepy Joe’s attempt at providing reasons (a general Democrat weakness) was replaced by the Snake Oil Salesman who sold barbaric cures. We can anticipate that Trump’s reforms will be met with greater barbarism to overcome what is currently the order of the day.
“You’re fired!” seems to be the order of the day – and I can’t help but think that the current ruler is going to step on some toes that don’t like to be stepped on. Gosh, he just fired some very high-ranking military types. (Didn’t JFK do that as well?)
If history repeats itself (and it does consistently and repeatedly) – things are about to get much darker as the opposition readies itself to be born.
Perhaps that’s why Elon Musk is so set on colonizing Mars – because there will be nowhere for him to run to on Earth.
I hope Jon Stewart remarks on this when Elon appears on The Daily Show.